Sanitation work is a term commonly used to describe tasks that involve disposing of or recycling waste in a manner that is hygienic and that aims to prevent disease. There are many subcategories and jobs that are considered part of the sanitation industry. For example, a sanitation worker may be employed by a city to collect trash, or he may be employed by a private company to treat wastewater.
Trash collectors are employed in many cities around the world. This type of sanitation worker is generally responsible for helping households and businesses dispose of garbage. He does this by going from place to place and taking away unwanted goods. Generally, he identifies what is unwanted because such items will be left in a particular place, in particular receptacles, on particular days. A trash collector may also physically load garbage into the garbage vehicle or drive such a vehicle.
In some instances, garbage is not collected from people’s homes or businesses. In rural areas, it is common for people to haul their trash to a collection site. A person who works there is generally responsible for ensuring that people adhere to the rules and regulations of the site. For example, he may be responsible for preventing the disposal of hazardous waste and for ensuring that people place certain types of garbage in certain collection bins.
Once trash is collected, it is commonly sent to a landfill. This is a place where massive amounts of garbage are usually placed in the ground. Since a landfill is a complex facility, there are many sanitation jobs and duties at the site.
For example, landfills or laws may prohibit the dumping of certain items, and these items are often separated from the acceptable garbage. A sanitation worker must then take the prohibited items to an area where they can be properly dealt with. Another worker at the same landfill may be responsible for using machines that compact, bulldoze, or recycle the garbage that is dumped.
Some waste is not collected by people, and instead, it flows to collection receptacles by way of pipes. This type of waste is often sanitized so that the water contained in it can be reused. A sanitation worker in this area of the industry may be responsible for pumping out septic systems that are blocked or full. He may also be responsible for operating or overseeing the machines at a wastewater facility.